Chapter 36

The hypnotic spell had been lifted, and Ryan was no longer bound. Yet he made no attempt to flee or resist. He sat dejectedly on the ground, without saying a word.

He knew exactly how their strength compared. Even with the giant Gerald right in front of him, let alone without him, Ryan wasn't sure he could beat the mage Satan—at least, not while he was in good condition.

Now he was badly wounded, with most of the bones in both shoulders shattered. If he hadn't just drunk some healing potion, the pain alone might have killed him. How could he possibly fight back?

It had come to this. He could only accept his fate; there was nothing else to be done.

"Ryan, why did you ambush us?" Gerald roared. His voice echoed through the forest like a gust of wind.

"I'm dying. I wanted to please the Dim Moon and earn the right to go to his divine kingdom, so I set up this whole deception. I hoped to please His Majesty by tricking you." Ryan spoke frankly. "But I failed, and His Majesty abandoned me. Now I'm completely finished. Life has no meaning for me anymore. The gates of Purgatory are already open to me. It's only a matter of when I fall in."

At those words, the thieves' expressions changed. They glared at him furiously. If they hadn't been intimidated by Gerald, they would have rushed him then and there and hacked the old man to pieces.

Since both of them had "illusion" as one of their chief divine domains, the God of Thieves and the God of Conspiracy were bitter enemies, locked in a life-or-death feud. To the thieves who worshipped the God of Thieves, Ryan, a follower of the God of Conspiracy, was not only an enemy but also a despicable traitor.

In some wuxia novel's world, a man like him would surely have to endure three blades and six holes!

Ryan paid no attention to their murderous glares. He was already out of options. He was going to die either way, so what was there to fear?

"Heh." Sui Xiong's laughter rang out in the air. "The God of Conspiracy hasn't abandoned you. On the contrary, your actions pleased him greatly."

"What?!" Ryan's eyes lit up. He hurriedly looked at the small, transparent jellyfish that had suddenly appeared in the air. "Then why didn't His Majesty answer my prayers?"

"Because I intercepted them," Sui Xiong said with a grin. "I intercepted the messenger he sent, too. By the way, the God of Conspiracy's messengers are called Four-Faced Monsters. They look pretty strange, but they taste surprisingly good. Tender and delicious, with a flavor that lingers!"

Ryan's body jolted. He realized who Sui Xiong was. His face went ashen, and he collapsed to the ground. He couldn't utter a word.

He had thought himself clever and his arrangements flawless. He had successfully toyed with a big giant, a little mage, and even a rookie god. But now he realized that his scheme hadn't been flawed at all. He had simply chosen the wrong targets.

The deity behind the giant Gerald was no rookie. He was clearly a hidden, peerlessly powerful being! He had even eaten the God of Conspiracy's own divine messenger. Ryan couldn't begin to imagine just how powerful he was!

He had actually dared to scheme against such a mighty god. His luck was truly abysmal. Perhaps he had done too much evil in his life, and the Goddess of Fate had already bound him with threads invisible to mortal eyes, tying one end to Purgatory...

After falling into utter despair, he became calm instead. His lifeless eyes settled on Sui Xiong, and he said woodenly, "Your Majesty, forgive me for not knowing your name. But it doesn't matter now. Whatever punishment you have in mind, do as you please."

Seeing him look like such a hopeless wreck, with a heart more dead than alive, Sui Xiong couldn't help feeling disappointed. He had wanted to punish the cunning old fox, not this useless wreck who was barely more alive than a corpse.

The transparent little jellyfish circled Ryan a few times, studying him closely. Then a sudden flash of inspiration came to Sui Xiong, and he thought of something.

"Since you're willing to accept punishment, don't blame me for being heavy-handed!" he said with a cold laugh. The transparent jellyfish, formed from his soul power, twisted and transformed into a massive palm. A shining golden wan symbol appeared at its center, and it came down toward Ryan's forehead.

"Turn back from the boundless sea of suffering, and you'll find the shore!"

With a loud shout, Sui Xiong silently envisioned all the sincerity, kindness, and beauty in the world: scenes of prosperity and progress, of unceasing effort, of joyous celebration... Countless thoughts came together in a beam of golden light. Carried by the force of the palm, it seemed to strike Ryan's forehead, but in truth it burst through his soul and rushed inside.

Ryan let out a scream, his body convulsing. The pain of a wounded soul far surpassed that of a wounded body. Even with his heart dead, he couldn't bear such agony. For a moment, he truly wished he could die right then. Even the punishments awaiting him in Purgatory would be better than enduring this unbearable pain.

The thieves watched their boss suffer, unable to die despite begging for death, and were terrified out of their wits. Several, too cowardly to hold it in, wet themselves. The stench filled the air, making the situation even more unbearable.

Fortunately, they had brought plenty of supplies on this treasure hunt. They found a few clean pairs of trousers for the cowards to change into, then tossed the soiled ones far away. Satan cast a spell to summon a gust of wind, which swept the stench away. At last, everyone's noses were spared.

Strangely enough, after only a short while, Ryan, who had been screaming without pause, calmed down. His eyes were vacant, and no one knew what he was thinking. He simply stared blankly at the sky.

"Ryan, have you come to your senses?" Sui Xiong's avatar returned to the shape of a floating jellyfish and called out loudly.

The shout startled Ryan back to awareness. He sat up again, stayed silent for a long time, and then suddenly burst into tears.

He wept as if his heart were breaking, as if his guts were being torn apart, as if clouds of sorrow had blotted out the sky, and as if his tears could fly... No, never mind that last one; it didn't fit the mood, Sui Xiong thought to himself.

Ryan cried for a long time before finally stopping. His shoulders were injured, so he couldn't lift his hands to wipe his face. His tears mingled with the dust, streaking his face in black and white. He looked utterly wretched.

But his eyes were remarkably clear—the clearest his subordinates had ever seen them. Calm and gentle, like a crystal-clear lake, they held not a trace of shadow. At a glance, they made people want to draw close, with no urge to be wary of him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for helping me come to my senses. I have nothing left to fear now," Ryan said calmly. "I did countless evil things in my life. I deserve to go to hell and atone for them. Even if I must endure every kind of suffering and punishment in Purgatory, it's nothing compared to the pain I inflicted on others throughout my life."

"Coming to my senses only when death is at hand is far too late. But realizing my mistakes at the very end is still better than never repenting." He struggled to his feet and looked around at his subordinates, his face full of remorse.

"I've done many things to wrong you over the years. I used you to do evil, took most of what you worked so hard to earn, and repeatedly stood in the way of your advancement... I apologize to you, though I don't dare ask you to forgive me."

When he finished, he let out a long sigh and gazed up at the sky.

"When I was a child, I often lay on the roof of my home and looked at the sky. I used to wonder what it was like beyond the heavens. They say heaven is up there, and that good people can go there and live in peace in the beautiful kingdom created by the benevolent gods... What is heaven really like? I wish I could see it..."

His voice grew fainter and fainter. His body went limp and fell to the ground. He drew no more breath.

He was dead.

In Sui Xiong's eyes, as the breath left Ryan's body, a transparent, elderly figure emerged from him. The figure looked sadly at his own corpse, shook his head, and sighed. He then bowed to Sui Xiong before slowly sinking toward the ground, seemingly on his way to the Underworld and the punishments of hell.

Just then, a clear ray of light invisible to mortals descended from the sky and fell upon Ryan's soul.

Within the white light, an old man appeared. He wore a plain gray cloak, a silver-inlaid headband around his forehead, and carried a pipe with a cheerful smile. He took Ryan by the shoulder.

"The Lord of Repentance once said that no matter how many sins a person committed in life, sincere repentance should be met with redemption," the old man told Ryan. "You shouldn't go to hell. Instead, you should turn your remorse into acts of atonement and help those in need."

Ryan was stunned. It took him a moment to recover before he asked in disbelief, "Y-you're an emissary of the God of Redemption? But I never worshipped that deity..."

"Our Majesty doesn't decide who may enter his kingdom based on whether they worship him. Only souls that redeem themselves and others earn the right to go to the Valley of Relief. You redeemed yourself in the final moments of your life, so His Majesty sent me to welcome you." The old man spoke kindly. "Come with me. Your road is still long."

Overwhelmed with joy, Ryan couldn't help shedding more tears. He bowed deeply to Sui Xiong, then followed the old man and rode the clear beam of light up into the sky.

Sui Xiong watched him go and smiled faintly. He was just about to share some thoughts along the lines of "yesterday's troubles died with yesterday, and today's life begins anew," when he suddenly sensed something.

The enormous jellyfish floating in the air turned and gave a polite nod to the plainly dressed woman who had appeared beside him.

"Hello, God of Redemption."

"Hello, kind young god." The woman looked about twenty-five or twenty-six. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she was warm and approachable. Her eyes held a gentle light that calmed the heart. She was the avatar of the God of Redemption. Sensing that someone had used an unusual method to make a sinful soul repent in the final moments of his life, she had grown deeply interested and had come to the mortal world to meet Sui Xiong in person.

The God of Redemption was also known as the Lord of Repentance, the Listener of Last Words, and by other titles. She wasn't a powerful deity. Her teachings called on her followers to redeem themselves and others, which was extremely difficult. As a result, her faith had never spread widely. Even among her priests, many struggled to live by her teachings. Those who truly managed to practice them were often already on the verge of death, and unlikely to spread her doctrine or proclaim her glory.

For a long time, this elder among the gods had been in an awkward position. She firmly believed she was right, yet was troubled over how to spread her ideals. Now, at last, after meeting Sui Xiong, she came to understand. She felt she had glimpsed the course of fate.

The God of Redemption, in the guise of the Listener of Last Words, raised her hand. A sphere of gentle white light flew out and fell upon Sui Xiong, where it was quickly absorbed and stored for later analysis.

"This is some of my divine power, along with useful information. You can study it at your leisure. I look forward to seeing you at the Union of the Supreme Good before long. I believe that by then, we'll be able to work together to good effect."

"I'm sorry, but I haven't yet figured out how to ascend to godhood," Sui Xiong said.

The gentle goddess waved her hand, and her figure slowly faded. "That's all right. Time means little to either of us. I've waited a long time. Now I finally know my wait wasn't in vain, and that's enough to satisfy me."

Watching the God of Redemption depart, Sui Xiong carefully examined the sphere of divine power he had received and engraved the wealth of information it contained into his mind. A vague understanding stirred within him. Amid the surrounding chaos, at last a glimmer of light appeared along the road to godhood.

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